Wichita eagle., 1887-10-26

or gentlemen calling on me. Mas generally
out shopping in the daytime. II she's in WI
) can sit in the hall. The chambernaid in thu
hotels lets me do everything want to be
= cause gave her my turquoise earrings
was tired Of 'em. They weren't fashionable
any more"
When I returned to my hotel I found 6
telegram summoning me to the east. I LEFT
San Francisco the next day. Before I went
sent Miss Pussy Black the finest box OIL
sugar plums that the city of the Golden Gats
could supply. Following so closely on the
heels Of q children's party, this gift would
have been indeed fatal one to most infants
But observation had convinced me that Miss
Pussy had the stomach of an ostrich, and
was certain that she was the sort OF child to
come up smiling after every round Of sweet
stuff.
Eight years passed before again saw Miss
Pussy. 1t was at Rome. came up from
Naples and went to hotel pension behind
the Pantheon, which was famous resort for
genteel widows and spinsters who were spend
ing their declining winter days in the Eternal
City. At my first dinner l counted no less
than twenty women OF uncertain age, sand
wiched in among foreign young girls and
sickly men. Tho black looks that were cast
upon me by three lean, British spinsters who
sat opposite me did not improve my appetite
They all wore soiled, white, knitted shawls,
and wrangled among themselves on the sub
!ect of church architecture. At my LETT was
IN American maiden lady who had dyed
yellow hair. heard later that she was going
over to the Church of Rome. At my right
IL, III
iron gray hair. Her face was singularly
familiar. She reissd her she'll eyeglass and
gazed with quiet sarcasm upon the corpse Of
puny little bird which rested from its joys
and sorrows upon her plate Her gesture re-
minded me Of certain Californian festivities
in which had once participated, and recog-
nized the lady who had told me the tale Of the
| "Circus Blacks"
ais this Mrs. Penderlip7" asked, at length.
| She turned and looked at me with ready
! suitability, after the European table d'hote
| manner.
II have met you somewhere" she said pres
emily, "but cannot recall time and place"
| lreIninded Mrs. Penderlip Of the half hours
chat we had had eight years before at the
house Of the Californian mining man, and
asked her what had become Of the "Circus
f! Blacks"
| SThey are at Rone,r said Mrs. PenderIlp,
land i'll high feather. They move in court
circles, thanks TO Pussy's beauty, and her fir
tations with poverty stricken noblemen.
see a good deal Of them. never even recog-
nized them in California. I couldn't, you
know. But over here it is different Money
Is all that counts with the Italians. They
think all Americans are plebeians. Hrs.
-. 4, b.. 11,
pedigree. / never say anything about the
bareback act or the market stall or the tai
lor's shop, and it wouldn't make any difference
il did. l like Mrs. Blacks opera box and
her good dinners tho dinners at this house
grow worse every day., and she thinks me an
excellent chaperone for Pussy. Even girls
like Pussy Black have to be chaperoned at
times in this scandal loving city. The New
York and Boston women turn up their noses
at the Blacks, but there isn't q girl in the
American colony as handsome as Pussy, and
with her money she ought to marry well.
The other daughter, Ella, Is married and
lives at San Francisco. Nowadays, tho tops
are all getting to be bottoms, and the bottoms
tops"
Mrs. Penderlip had evidently mellowed
with age. She informed me, presently. that
BIG Udti llltD WIFI llduCidl ICHeISeS, ilAo WIS
practicing social amiability IS q profession.
Mrs. Penderlip, q few days later, offered to
take me to call on the Blacks, assuring me
that Pussy remembered me with pleasure,
and had expressed herself as delighted to re-
new the acquaintance.
"The live at the Hotel d'Angleterre," said
Mrs. PenderliD, as we crossed the piazza of the
Pantheon. "Ihat sort of people never have
q home"
We had jus. entered the vestibuls Of tho
hotel. and were giving our cards TO flunky
in red plush and gold lace, when o tremel-
dous rafting and rushing was heard, swish
Ing Of silk draperieg, G clankius OF spurs and
swords, and tearing headlong down the length
OF the wide crimson caTpeted stairs, with tho
Towering can1ollia trees either side, came u
lovely, graceful girl, dragging 4 long, dark
blue train after her. SAo was covered with
let ornaments that made noise as Of falling
hailstOnes Her beautiful face was shaded by
o cavaliers hat, with long, droopirg, dark
blue plumas 4 was Pussy Black. She took
her stairs as rapidly IS Of old.
Behind her skipped one Of those superb
specimens OF italian military manhood that
decorate the thoroughfares Of Rome, and do
SO much to make the Eternal City attractive
some youth and, with his long, black and yell
low legs, his shining accouterments and his
neatly corseted figure, he reminded me OF a
brilliant dragon fly lowering over an exquis-
ite flower.
Pussy greeted mo cordially, and was ex-
trenely sorry that On engagement to walk |
with Count Castelnuovo, whom she presented |
TO re, would prevent her remaining at homo |
A. 1,,-A cho
ger said 'lna"-wa-s upstairs, and would be |
charmed TO see me. Then she danced Off into |
the sunlight, under the arched doorway, &C |
conpanied by her count, and all the old gen. |
tlemen cano ont Of the reading room, with |
their Galignani and their Times in their
hands, TO SEQ the pretty American girl whisk |
herself into the street.
Mrs. Black was very gracious to me. She
had acquired artistic tastes since her arrival
at Rome, and was studying sculpture. won
her affections by praisiDg bust of her hus-
band which she had just finished. I ingrati-
ated myself with Mr. Black by syrnpathizing |!
with his desire to give I'D all this foreign nom
sense, and 30 back TO dear old California. He
hated absinthe and vermouth, and his wife
wouldn't let him drink whisky. She had said
that it was low" Hrs. Black was perfect
Godsend to the starving artists who infess
Rome. They regarded her in the light Of q val
uabNo Attorney COW that gave mill; freely,
and her rooms were filed with charity pct
ures.
The Blacks had been presented ct tie OUR
inal and went to all the court balls King
Umberto had pronounced Pussy bellina, as
indeed she was. and Queen Marguerite had
smiled graciously upon the whole family.
D. L %